Page 22 of Forever

“Why now? Why not when my mom…” my voice trailed off.Why not when my mom needed you?

“Patricia’s parents were still alive then. And Poppy’s parents,” he added a little quieter.

“Oh, it’s okay, Uncle Richard. They definitely would have offed you for running out on Aunt Patricia. My parents were totally nuts. No need to hide it.”

So are you, Poppy.

“I’d only just taken over,” my dad said. “I didn’t have the alliances I do now. I never would have survived. And I would have put your mother in danger. And you. But as Itold you before…I didn’t know you were born. I didn’t know, Brooklyn. Or maybe I would have done things differently. I want to believe that I would.”

Tears pooled in the corners of my eyes. He’d wanted my mother to get rid of me. He’d thought that she had. And it was hard not to wonder how everything would have turned out if he’d known the truth.

But you couldn’t rewind time. I knew that better than anyone. All you could do was move forward. “But won’t Mrs. Pruitt retaliate now?”

“You mean Ms. Cannavaro. She’s no longer my wife. Distancing myself from the mafia was what you asked me to do in order to be a part of your life and my grandson’s. So I took that very seriously. And…” He looked at his watch. “Oh, look at the time.” He smiled. “A helicopter crashed into the Hudson River two minutes ago. My ex-wife was on board. There were no survivors.”

I should have been horrified. My father wasn’t looking at a news report. He was just checking the time. He’d clearly just had his ex-wife murdered. But having Mrs. Pruitt out of my life made me breathe a little easier.

My dad hadn’t murdered Miller. And he’d gotten revenge for Miller’s death. Twice over. Three times if you counted Locatelli’s son.

And he really had retired. He was out. For real. Forme.

“Did you seriously kill her?” Rob asked.

My dad turned to him. “It’s better not to say these things out loud, Robert.”

“Yeah, probably not,” Rob said. “And um…speaking of killing people. We need to go check on a few security guards probably.”

“They’re fine,” Tanner said. “Why do you never believe anything I say?”

“Because you’re a crazy person.”

“Ah, Poppy,” my father said and turned to her.

I pressed my lips together. Was I the only one that caught the transition there?

“I think it’s best if you team up with Magnus from here on out. The two of you can take over where I left off.”

“But, Uncle Richard…” protested Poppy.

“No buts,” he said, shaking his head. “It’s cleaner this way. Two families can keep everyone else in line easier. And he has certain skills that you do not. And it expands your connections and power.”

“I have to say I don’t love this idea either,” Magnus said.

“Would you rather be on the ground next to your boss?”

Magnus cleared his throat. “No, sir. But the Cannavaros…they’re…they’re…”

Crazy?

Poppy glared at him. She knew what he was inferring too.

“You’ll keep each other in line, yes?” my dad said and turned back to me. “Now where were we? I see you’re engaged again! For real this time. Because I’m done meddling.” He lifted his hands to show that he was innocent.

Matt told me that my father never intended to let us get married back in high school. That he’s always planned to take me away from the city. But I couldn’t hold on to that anger anymore. Besides, his meddling let me live a beautiful life with Miller. It gave me sixteen years of happiness. It gave me Jacob. The only thing I regretted was hurting Matt. I’d loved my little bubble. And I loved my life right now too. I’d always love both.

“I think a celebration is in order. Magnus, order us a bottle of your best champagne, will you?”

“I really think we should discuss this a bit more,” Magnus said. “Maybe privately?”

---